What are your learning goals in 2023? Complete the CME Needs Assessment and let GAFP know!

2023 CME Needs Assessment

Please share your educational priorities and help GAFP plan CME activities for 2023-2024. This survey will take no more than 15 minutes and will help the Education & Research Committee plan CME topics better tailored to your interests and needs.

Those that complete the survey by Sunday, March 5 will be entered for a chance to win one of four (4) $25 Amazon gift cards! The lucky winners will be notified on Monday, March 6.

Thank you in advance for your time and input! The Education Committee looks forward to reviewing the results and providing meaningful education in 2023-2024.

Are you looking for ways to support the Georgia Healthy Family Alliance (GHFA)?

If so, you are not alone. There are many people who are passionate about supporting the Foundation’s mission to serve the people of Georgia by enhancing their well-being through educational and outreach programs that promote healthy practices consistent with the principles of family medicine.

Here are a few reasons why you should support the Georgia Healthy Family Alliance…

1. Improving Access to Care. The Foundation works to provide Georgians with access to quality health care services. This includes providing funding through Community Heath Grants and Immediate Needs Grants initiatives for free health clinics, providing medical supplies to those in need, offering educational programs to help people better understand their health care options, etc. Since 2011, GHFA has awarded more than $600,000 to organizations providing vital health care needs in Georgia.
2. Supporting Education. The Foundation provides scholarships and grants to medical students, residents, and fellows so they can pursue their medical education. This helps to ensure that there are enough qualified physicians in the state to meet the needs of its residents.
3. Promoting Health. The Foundation works to promote healthy lifestyles and preventative care. This includes providing funding for health education programs like the evidence-based Tar Wars (tobacco and vape prevention program), and other initiatives that can help people stay healthy and prevent illnesses. For example, in 2022 GHFA ⎼ in partnership with schools statewide ⎼ educated more than 50,000 students on the dangers of tobacco, nicotine, and vape products through the Tar Wars program.

These are just a few reasons you should support the Georgia Academy of Family Physicians’ foundation. By doing so, you will be helping to improve the health of Georgians. So, don’t hesitate – get involved and support GHFA today!

Donate now!

Together we can make a difference in Georgia – one patient, one family, and one community at a time. 

For more information on how you can support the Georgia Healthy Family Alliance, please contact Alexis Klima at aklima@gafp.org or visit us online to start/continue your support today.

The Tar Wars program is making huge strides in 2023! So far, our amazing team of volunteers, presenters, and local champions have educated students and communities across 13 different counties all over Georgia. We have loved engaging with schools and other organizations across Hall, Lumpkin, Dawson, Habersham, Harris, Gwinnett, Cobb, Bibb, Houston, Colquitt, Banks, Chatham, and Bulloch counties so far, and we still have many months to go!

The Tar Wars message of nicotine, tobacco and vape education, prevention and cessation is much needed across all age groups and we are happy to partner with schools at no cost to them to help keep our Georgia students healthy!

There are 2 ways that you can help us stop our Georgia youth from smoking or vaping before they ever start…

1. Become a Tar Wars presenter!  Program Orientation Sessions are available every Wednesday and Thursday from 12:15-12:45 p.m. through the months of March. Click here to sign up!
2. Become a Tar Wars champion in your community! Are you connected to your area principal, school board and/or school nurses and health educators? Would you love to see students in your local school systems receive the Tar Wars program? We would love that, too! Please connect us with your area school leaders so that we can spread our anti-tobacco and anti-vaping message to students across our state. Email Abbey Carr at acarr@gafp.org for resources and information on how to get connected.

The Georgia Academy of Family Physicians is hosting a Family Medicine Residency Fair & Networking Reception on Saturday, March 11 at the Hyatt Atlanta Villa Christina (4000 Summit Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30319). This is open to all Georgia Medical Students with an interest in family medicine.

The Residency Fair is from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. in room Azalea B with the Networking Reception with Family Medicine Leaders in the Azalea Foyer from 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Come see what Family Medicine has to offer!

Below are the following programs that will be attending the Residency Fair:

Interested? RSVP now! – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GAFPResidencyFairRSVP

Last month GAFP residents explored women’s mental health during preconception, pregnancy and postpartum and now all members have access to these webinars ON DEMAND for a limited time. Through March 15, members can access these recordings and further their understanding of women’s mental health during these times of care. Please note these webinars are informational only and do not include CME credit.

Webinar 1 – Preconception Mental Health Care for Patients Planning Pregnancy
Recording with passcode: ^C7!jn82

Discusses the importance of screening, diagnosis, and treatment of mental health conditions for reproductive-aged and pregnancy-planning patients. You will learn about counseling techniques and interventions that can be offered to patients and improve outcomes.

Webinar 2 – Mental Health Care During Pregnancy
Recording with passcode: @6S6kv.L

Reviews data demonstrating mental health conditions are under-diagnosed and under-treated during pregnancy and their negative effects on maternal, obstetric, birth, and family outcomes. You will learn how to address mood conditions and anxiety during pregnancy through screening, assessment and treatment, and providing educational resources to patients and families.

Webinar 3 – Optimizing Postpartum Mental Health Care
Recording with passcode: R8+j.EFD

Discusses how postpartum mental health care is an ongoing process rather than a single encounter six weeks after delivery. Reviews how to perform an initial assessment and ongoing care for postpartum patients with mental health conditions. Also discusses the policy and payment challenges health professionals face when treating postpartum patients.

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) has announced two monthly opportunities for family physicians to participate in continuing education addressing key factors related to maternal mortality in our state.

The first is Maternal Health ECHO, a monthly virtual session for provider and community education recommended by the Georgia Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Key recommendations from MMRC for 2018-2020 included: better coordination of communication between facilities to enhance plan of care, management of chronic conditions- including mental health, and community/family/provider education on danger signs and symptoms during pregnancy and postpartum. Maternal Health ECHO sessions are held virtually the 3^rd Wednesday of each month from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Attendees for the live session are eligible for 1.0 CME credits. The 2023 Curriculum can be viewed here. Past session recordings are also available on the homepage. We would be grateful for any case studies or topics of interest from Georgia AFP Physicians!

Launching in March 2023 is a targeted Reproductive Mental Health ECHO project led by Dr. Toby Goldsmith & Dr. Rebecca Woo with PEACE for Moms (P4M) at Emory University. P4M proudly connects Georgia health care professionals with psychiatrists who specialize in perinatal mental health and can provide consultation for medication management. The goal of this consultation service is to expand access to high-quality mental health care and increase physician support/resources for practice. 

The Reproductive Mental Health ECHO project will consist of small group sessions to focus on treatment for common mental health conditions:

1. 3/16/23 – Ten High-Yield Considerations in Perinatal Mental Health
2. 4/20/23 – Depression
3. 5/18/23 – Anxiety (Generalized and Panic)
4. 6/15/23 – Bipolar Disorder
5. 7/20/23 – Psychosis
6. 8/17/23 – Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder/Birth Trauma
7. 9/21/23 – Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
8. 10/19/23 – Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Registration for the Reproductive Mental Health ECHO project learning series can be found HERE.

The 2023 American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students will take place July 27-29 in Kansas City, MO. Past attendees consistently rate this event as an invaluable opportunity because of the practical sessions, networking, and chance to learn more about family medicine.

The AAFP Foundation offers two awards to help students and residents attend National Conference and improve their leadership skills.

1. Emerging Leader Institute is a yearlong leadership development program that starts immediately after National Conference. This highly competitive program accepts 30 scholars who each receive a $1,000 award to help with travel and lodging expenses. The application deadline is March 1.
2. Family Medicine Leads Scholarships provide 220 awards valued at $600 each. This financial assistance helps offset expenses of attending National Conference, such as registration, travel, lodging, and meals. The application deadline is May 1.

Attendees are encouraged to apply for both opportunities; however, a Family Medicine Leads Scholarship application will be considered only if an applicant is not selected for the Emerging Leader Institute.

The AAFP is interested in recruiting a diverse group of scholarship applicants including students and residents from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine, as well as from rural communities, lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and those interested in caring for underserved populations.

If you have specific questions about National Conference or Family Medicine Leads Scholarships, contact Ashley Herman by email or at (800) 274-2237, ext. 6361.

If you have questions about the Emerging Leader Institute, contact Rachael Redler by email or at (800) 274-2237, ext. 6341.

Emory University’s Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center is hosting a free conference in Atlanta on March 23-24. The Dementia Disparities Conference Series will bring together researchers and emerging scholars to discuss how social, environmental, and biological factors affect African-Americans, Latinos and other ethnic minorities in the U.S.

For more information and to register, please visit https://ddconference.fiu.edu. Can’t attend in person? A virtual Zoom option is available at registration.

The Georgia Healthy Family Alliance (GHFA) is grateful to have such amazing supporters of the Middle Georgia Tar Wars Strike Force ⎼ a tobacco, nicotine and vape prevention education program. The Strike Force has an impact in Bibb, Houston, Laurens, Wilkinson, Monroe, Jones, Twiggs, Baldwin, Crawford, Peach, Bleckley, Dodge, Washington, Johnson, and Treutlen counties.

GHFA, a team of physicians, and local community leaders and organizations are combining efforts on a mission to raise $250,000 to bring Tar Wars, a youth anti-tobacco, anti-vaping education and awareness program to approximately 20,000 4^th and 5^th grade students at no cost to schools.

Community leaders from Middle Georgia had this to say about the regional Tar Wars Strike Force:

“Recognizing that vaping is a public health crisis among youth nationwide, the Navicent Health Foundation found this program worthy of philanthropic support. We applaud Georgia Healthy Family Alliance and the Tar Wars Middle Georgia Strike Force for the work they are doing in central Georgia.” ⎼ Ellen Johnson, President & CEO of the Navicent Health Foundation.

“We know that Georgia’s Family Physicians and the Georgia Healthy Family Alliance will be great stewards of these funds to support these counties with this program to prevent future health concerns in rural Georgia communities.” ⎼ Dennis White, President & CEO of Alliant Health Solutions

“While we won’t know until years down the road the impact of this education, we can hope and pray it will improve lives. All we can do is try and educate this generation and those to follow on the dangers of smoking and vaping. My thanks to GHFA for its efforts.” ⎼ Don Avery, CEO of HCA Fairview Park Hospital

About Tar Wars

Presented in collaboration with Georgia’s schools, the Tar Wars tobacco and vape prevention curriculum is an evidence-based, effective, and interactive educational program that has impacted the lives of more than 10 million children worldwide since its development by family physicians in 1988. 

Tar Wars seeks to equip 4^th and 5^th grade students with the knowledge necessary to make healthier choices. If we can stop Georgia’s children from using tobacco, e-cigarettes and vape products, the long-term impact will be lower smoking and vaping rates, which in turn can dramatically decrease the current proportion of cancer deaths in Georgia attributable to smoking (29%). If Georgia’s youth never start smoking or vaping, then they never have to quit.

Tar Wars has been designated as one of the CDC’s “Programs that Work” for tobacco, nicotine and vape prevention. Additionally, the Georgia Department of Education has highlighted Tar Wars throughout the state as a suggested resource.

To find out how you can support the Tar Wars program in Georgia, please contact Alexis Klima at aklima@gafp.org or 478-714-3760.